Broken Wings: Genesis (23 page)

“Yes.”

“And if the Fallen Ones can make
this whole thing go down without the angelic host lifting a finger to stop
them, then humankind gets wiped out, and the angels get to enjoy eternity in
the Crystal City without humans running around mucking up their plans.”

“Yes.”

“So why do you suppose I got
tossed into the pattern like this––to muck things up?”

“Of course, Yesh. That’s exactly
it. You are the one thing that belongs to both worlds, once an angel, now a
human. There had to be someone that would take both sides into account and make
the decision for the rest. Without you, humans would have no say in the matter
at all.”

“That is what we suspect.” Sariel
agreed. “It is also why we feel that humankind is meant to survive this, or at
least have a chance at surviving it. Why else would they return Ithane to us in
the form of a human? She was the most powerful among us. Because of her ability
to work the weaves of the web, she was once offered a position among the
Archangels. She chose to stay with the Grigori.”

“Well that was pretty bright of
her, wasn’t it? Couldn’t she have done more good by becoming an Archangel?”

“No.” Sariel shook her head. “She
would have disconnected herself from humanity and eventually became as the
others of the angelic host are now––cold and unfeeling. That is why the Grigori
care. The humans taught us the true meaning of compassion. And if she had
accepted the position, no one else could have stopped Abaddon the last time
around. Humanity would already be long gone.”

“So I––I mean Ithane––used to do
this body snatching thing, too?”

“No.” Sariel’s smile was wistful.
“But Ithane used to go among the humans and learn from them. She used to really
listen to what they had to say. They were a source of curiosity for her from
the very beginning.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Wow, Yesh.” Chaz commented with
amusement dancing in his eyes. “It’s really hard to imagine you as an angel.”

A short bark of laughter escaped
from me. “Thanks kid, I love you, too.”

Sariel was getting up from the
ground, brushing off her robes, although they didn’t really need it. Nothing
seemed to get dirty in this place. I think she did it more out of habit from
being in human form, down on earth playing amongst the dirt.

“I think it is time we got back to
our lessons, don’t you?”

The groan came without my even
realizing it was there. Sariel smiled knowingly and picked up a rock, handing
it to me.

“Okay, now this time––”

“So where are we going?” I asked
the little cherub.

Arianna was pulling me forward by
my hand, urging me along at a fast pace. Chaz grinned beside me, finding
amusement at my annoyance. Ke was following along, his look somber. His look
was always somber. Other than the one time he had smiled at his own expense
back that first day in my apartment, I don’t think I had ever seen him in
anything other than the stone-faced look he wore now.

I had spent the morning with the
Grigori. I was starting to get a better handle on the whole rock butterfly
thing. At least I wasn’t shattering any more butterflies. I still couldn’t make
them fly, but I’d get there. I was determined. Or was that stubborn?

“It’s a surprise.” The little
cherub giggled “I had to get special permission to bring you here. No human has
been allowed here since almost the beginning of time.”

She couldn’t mean––

“Here we are!” She announced,
clapping with delight at the look of shock on my face.

The gates were closed, but I could
see beyond them into the lush foliage beyond. Maybe it was the hint the cherub
had just given, or maybe it was the two winged angels with swords of flame
standing guard at either side of the gate, looking similar to angelic replicas
of the Queen’s guard, but I knew what this place was. My heart jumped into my
throat. This place really
did
exist.

“The Garden of Eden.” Chaz
whispered in awe when I couldn’t find my voice.

“No shit.”

One of the angels frowned at my
blatant comment. So maybe they weren’t so much like the emotionless guards of
the royal palace. But wow––the Garden of Eden.

“Can we really go in?” Chaz was
dancing back and forth between both feet.

“Of course.” Arianna laughed
again. She looked pointedly at the guards in emphasis. “I got
permission
.”

They didn’t seem too happy about
it, but Arianna must have gotten the permission she claimed because they
grudgingly stepped aside and the gates swung open. I took a step forward and
stopped, eyeing those flaming swords.

“It is as the cherub said,” Ke put
a gentle hand on my arm. “The gates would not have been opened to you
otherwise.”

It was reassurance enough. I
stepped inside. Wow––imagine that. I was the first human to set foot inside the
Garden of Eden in thousands of years. I don’t know if it was because of the
years of imagery shoved down my throat by the church, or if it was because this
was the version of Eden set within the confines
of the Crystal City, but it seemed to have an edge of
beauty I had never witnessed before. It was the one place inside the Crystal City not covered by that strange,
depressing indigo hue. The light here was bright and warm, casting the garden
into a relief of colored brilliance. It was so bright, so breathtaking, that it
almost hurt the eyes to look. Father David would be green with envy. I couldn’t
wait to tell him.

We wandered through the Garden for
a bit, with Arianna taking us to this place and that, showing off the natural
settings of the Garden. And it was, natural I mean. Nothing on earth could have
grown in this way, so perfect and raw, yet still so sculpted and perfectly
placed. But it had once been on earth. Or had it?

“Is this the
actual
Garden
of Eden, or is this the Crystal
City version of the
original?” Hey, I had to ask the question.

“There was only ever one Garden of
Eden.” Ke replied, looking into a pond at our feet. “It was one of the earliest
contentions among the angels, that the humans were given just one more thing
the angels never had.”

“Chaz, come on over here.” Arianna
called to the kid. “Let me show you something.”

Chaz looked at me and I shrugged.
“Go ahead kid, you’re not tied to me. I think I can manage without you for a
bit.”

He grinned and headed away to
follow the flighty little cherub. It left Ke and me alone again. I wasn’t sure
how I felt about that. I had so many conflicting emotions where he was
concerned. Part of me wondered how much was from the time I spent as Ithane. He
looked as uncomfortable as I felt, so I decided to take pity on him.

“So what’s the deal with the
Garden, anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

I sighed. Why did I always have to
clarify my questions for the angels? “Well, there are so many stories about it,
and legends past the biblical texts. What’s the real scoop?”

Ke nodded, finally understanding
what I was asking. “The Garden was the original site created for the humans. It
was sort of a test site for physical creation.”

I smiled. “A prototype?”

He frowned, rolling the word over
in his mind. He finally nodded. “Yes.”

“So give me the inside scoop––was
the Garden really created in six days, or did it take thousands of years, like
some of the more scientific types theorize?”

I must be hitting the tough
questions, because he seemed to have to work through each thought in his mind
before answering.

His frown deepened. “That is not
an easy question. The answer to both is yes.”

“How––?”

“Time is not linear in our realm.
It is only linear in the human realm, because it is the only way humans can
grasp the mortality of their lives. If they could wrap their minds around the
idea of non-linear time, they would be as immortal as the angelic host.”

“I see. So that is why the
immortals are the way they are. It is not just because of their ability to
connect into the energy the way that they do, but they have also grasped the
concept of non-linear time.”

“Yes.”

“There are scientists who have
built theories on non-linear time. Does this mean they will become immortals,
too?”

“No. They grasp the concept, but
they do not accept it as part of their reality. If they could, then they would
become immortal, yes. But it is not likely.”

“Okay then, how about the whole
mystery surrounding the forbidden tree?”

“The Tree of Knowledge?”

“Does it really exist?”

“Yes, would you like to see it?”

“No kidding?” He was looking at me
with expectation. “Why not? As long as I’m here, I might as well get the full
tour.”

Ke turned and led me down a path
to the other side of the pond, away from the direction that Arianna and Chaz
had gone. I followed along, but I was full of questions so the silence between
us didn’t last for long.

“So the whole thing between Adam
and Eve and Lucifer really happened?”

“In a sense.”

“Meaning?”

“When humans were first created,
they were given free will. But they never used it. They saw no need to.
Everything was provided for them, they had no real choices to make. Life was
very simple and the so-called paradise that humans purport was a reality.”

“I don’t know.” My look was
skeptical. “It all sounds pretty boring to me.”

“It would not sound so boring if
you were not of aware of your own potential.”

“And that’s what the apple did?
Make them aware of their potential?”

“Yes. The apple was pure symbolism
in physical form, if that makes sense. What the apple was in reality was a
direct connection into the web.”

“So the apple linked the humans
into the web so they could see what their true potential was?”

“Sort of. It allowed them the
essence of grasping the difference between linear and non-linear existence. It
was this grasp, and seeing the far-reaching future potential of man, that drove
them to behave in the way they did. To the first humans, who knew nothing
except paradise, the exposure to human potential both good and bad would be a
bit overwhelming.”

“Talk about sensory overload.” I
whistled.

“Yes.” Ke nodded. “Ironically, it
was the exposure to both linear and non-linear time, that also made humans
aware of the possibility of linear time. The understanding of it is what made
them mortal.”

“So before that, humans were
immortal?”

“Yes. Those first humans chose the
path of mortality.”

“And that’s what Lucifer was
counting on when he tempted Eve to eat the apple?”

“We believe so. No one can say for
certain.”

“I bet I can.” I snorted. “Old Lou
was already working on his own prototype––Abaddon. If he could make the only
creations of his rival out to be lesser beings, then he could complete his bid
for leadership over all the angelic host.”

“Pretty much.” Ke admitted. “That
was the point he was trying to use until Abaddon started tearing apart
everything. Up to that point, there were quite a few of the angelic hosts
willing to agree with him.”

“But here’s the other part that is
puzzling to me. Adam and Eve weren’t the only creations, were they? I mean the
whole concept of humanity being descended from two people––what about the folks
Cain ran into later on?”

“Adam and Eve weren’t the only
ones. They were the prototypes. And actually––”

“What?”

“Eve wasn’t the first woman,
either. Lilith was.”

I frowned. “I think I read that
somewhere. But wasn’t there something about her not being able to reproduce––?”

“Yes. Humans were meant to be
self-replicating. Lilith could not reproduce
human
children.”

“
Human
children––? So she
could reproduce, but only Nephilim?”

“Lilith was the first consort to
Lucifer, when she was replaced with Eve.”

“So is she still around?”

“Eve?”

“No, Lilith.”

Ke frowned. “Yes. She is one of
the immortals. Her presence appears throughout the religious texts of human
history. I think the most accurate portrayal of her was through the Sumerian
mythos.”

I let that one run through my mind
until it snagged on the thought. “Tiamat.”

Ke nodded. “In the myths, she was
destroyed. But she is supposed to come again, just like the biblical
Revelations.”

“The whore of Babylon?” When Ke confirmed the concept,
another thought came to mind. “Wait––Tiamat. Wasn’t she taken down by Marduk?”

Ke’s look became very guarded. “He
had the help of another who was not named in the stories.”

“Ithane.” I knew the answer
without his response. So that was what Marduk was hinting at. He had known me
in my past form. Which meant Ithane had not only hung out with the humans, she
may have taught them some of the same things that brought them to immortality.

“Marduk and Ithane locked Lilith
away in much the same way as we did with Abaddon. She actually put Abaddon into
the same pit with Lilith. It was how Ithane could work the weave so fast to
open the space to lock Abaddon away. She had done it once before.”

“Does that mean Marduk is also
capable of unlocking the pit?”

Ke shook his head, his voice
bitter. “No, that was an honor reserved only for me. Ithane didn’t lose herself
to the web when she worked with Marduk against Tiamat. She gave herself to the
web when she worked with me. I wasn’t strong enough to carry my weight, and we
lost her because of it.”

I shrugged. “It all works the way
it’s supposed to, I guess. Maybe Ithane knew that and it wasn’t your fault. It
was just what needed to be done.”

“She chose that way to do it so
she could take human form. She would not go against the restrictions against
combing angelic essence with human energy.”